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Harmon to investigate monopoly TT firm holds in local custom brokerage market
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has promised to investigate the monopoly a Trinidadian firm has over the logistical and customs brokerage services market in Guyana. He made this comment during a press conference that was held yesterday at the Ministry of the Presidency.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon
There, Kaieteur News informed the Minister that there are more than 20 firms in Guyana which have been providing sterling logistical and customs brokerage services for more than 40 years. Yet, these locals were all bypassed by USA oil company, ExxonMobil which requires such services. The American firm has given its logistical work to a Trinidadian firm, Ramps Logistics.
According to its website, Ramps Logistics was founded in 1985 in Trinidad and Tobago by Ramnarine Rampersad, offering solely customs brokerage services, until it expanded its operations later on. The company has a registered office in Guyana.
In response to the aforementioned, Harmon said, “I don’t know about Ramps Logistics and who they are, but I am now told it is an entity that is dealing with some customs business and therefore, I would not want to venture a comment on the matter. But now that you have said something, I will have the matter investigated; I will have it checked out and get a response to you during the week.”
Several persons from the local shipping industry who spoke with Kaieteur News agreed that Ramps Logistics being given the hog of the logistical work needed in the oil and gas industry is a “national insult” and a “slap in the face of local content”.
One experienced official said, “We have more than 20 companies here which can more than satisfy the needs of ExxonMobil in the area of customs brokerage and logistical service operations. There is no way that a Guyanese company would have been able to do the same in Trinidad and Tobago. Ramps Logistics has been dominating the area since the beginning.”
The official continued, “It appears that the process for evaluation to get such a job has been carefully crafted by ExxonMobil. It certainly does not take local content into the mix. This industry belongs to Guyana. Logistical work is but one of the many low hanging fruits in the oil and gas sector and even this ExxonMobil is taking away from locals. It is not fair and the locals with the experience will be made to suffer”.
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